The Hidden Dragon Tower stood at the center of Crown City.
It was nineteen meters tall, with nine floors in total. Strange ancient patterns covered its surface, carved so vividly that they seemed to depict a battle still raging across the stone. Moves filled the sky, the earth split apart, towering waves swallowed the sea, meteors shattered in midair, and cracks tore through space itself.
The carvings seemed to record some ancient war that had once shaken the entire world, a disaster where the continent had been thrown into chaos and everything had nearly been destroyed.
The Hualis government had built a special plaza around the tower and erected a massive Hidden Dragon Monument beside it. The names of the top ten prodigies from each generation of the rankings were carved into that stone.
Because of that, the area had become one of the capital's major attractions.
Every day, countless people came here. Some came to challenge the tower, some came to watch, and others simply came as tourists, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hualis's rising stars.
...
Aaron and the others soon arrived at Hidden Dragon Square.
The place was far livelier than he had expected. People filled the plaza in every direction, and the sound of conversation rolled through the air like a constant buzz.
Aaron smiled faintly.
"I didn't expect it to be this crowded."
"Heh, of course it is," Blaze said, looking smug. "Getting your name onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings is the dream of countless young Trainers."
He glanced toward the monument.
"It's not just glory either. The rankings come with real benefits. Newly discovered secret zones, new research potions, rare resources—you get priority access to all of it."
Aaron nodded.
Back when the Insight Secret Zone had opened after the College Entrance Exam, the top five on the Hidden Dragon Rankings had been given priority slots. Meanwhile, he had fought his way through the exam just to earn one.
That was the value of this tower.
It attracted young geniuses from all over Hualis and gave them a reason to compete.
Blaze suddenly grinned and leaned closer.
"Aaron, watch carefully. You're about to see how popular we are."
He puffed out his chest.
"With the three of us showing up together, this place is definitely going to lose its mind."
Braveon and Liora rolled their eyes at him, then led Aaron toward the tower.
Sure enough, the moment the four of them walked through the square, people began noticing them. Voices rose from the crowd almost immediately.
"Wait, isn't that Braveon?"
"Holy crap, it is. And Blaze and Liora are with him too."
"The top three on the Hidden Dragon Rankings are all here? What's going on today?"
"Is Braveon challenging the ninth floor?"
"If he is, that's huge. This could shake the whole capital."
"Hurry, call people over. Something big might actually happen today."
"I already messaged my friends. I can't believe they all showed up together."
"Liora's here too. I'm losing my mind."
"Get in line. I was a Liora simp first."
"Shameless."
"Absolutely. Still not moving."
The surrounding crowd looked at Braveon, Blaze, and Liora with obvious admiration.
Some of the younger Trainers stared at Liora with flushed faces and said things so embarrassing that her cheeks turned bright red.
Blaze, meanwhile, enjoyed every second of it. He walked with his head high and his chest out, grinning like the attention belonged to him by birthright.
Braveon remained calm as ever, seemingly unaffected.
Everyone was talking about the three of them.
As for Aaron, no one recognized him, and no one seemed interested in finding out who he was.
Next to their idols, everyone else faded into the background.
Aaron did not mind being ignored. In fact, he preferred keeping a low profile.
Unfortunately, with cheats as strong as his, staying low-profile usually did not last long. Somehow, the spotlight always ended up finding him.
That was one of his great burdens in life.
The group soon arrived beneath the towering Hidden Dragon Rankings.
Aaron looked up at the ancient tower, and a faint emotion stirred in his eyes.
So this is it.
The Hidden Dragon Tower.
A slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Aaron."
Blaze stood near a registration window by the tower and waved him over.
"You need to put your name in here first."
Aaron walked over and saw an ancient stone tablet beside the window. Once he wrote his name on it, he would be allowed to enter the tower and begin the challenge.
Before he could do so, a cold voice sounded nearby.
"Well, well."
"My friend told me the three of you were here, but I didn't believe it at first."
A long-haired young man with a cold expression walked over with several teenagers behind him.
"Turns out it's actually true."
Blaze's expression immediately soured.
"Frost, you creepy ice prince. We can come here whenever we want. What does that have to do with you?"
The young man's eyes turned colder.
"Blaze, your mouth is still as charming as ever. I could smell the trash talk before I even saw you."
Aaron looked between them, a little confused.
Crown City really was complicated.
It felt like Blaze had enemies everywhere.
Man, pick whatever fights you want. Just don't drag me into them.
Liora tugged gently on Aaron's sleeve and explained in a low voice.
"That's Frost. He's ranked fourth on the ranking."
Aaron immediately understood.
Then he ignored the exchange and wrote his name on the stone tablet.
Once he was done, he turned back to the three of them.
"Well, I'm heading in."
He smiled.
"Wish me luck."
Braveon, Blaze, and Liora all looked at him.
"Good luck," Braveon said calmly.
Blaze grinned.
"You've got this. Just don't pass me too easily."
Liora smiled as well.
"Good luck, Aaron."
Aaron gave them a faint smile, then stepped into the Hidden Dragon Tower.
...